, 1887-04-07
The Southern Railroads Make n
Strong Appeal
To the Interstate Commerce
Com mission.
A Request to Modify Section tour
of the Act.

state commerce commission began hc-
tive work at IL o'clock this morning.
At that time Ex-Gov. Rufus Is. Bul-
lock, Mr.. II. S. Spaulding and Mr. .;
+. Woodson, the committee appointed
nv the Atlanta chamber OF commerce
To cooperate with the Southern Kali
way and Steamship association IN
seeking such liberal Interpretation or
modification OF the operation OF the
Interstate commerce act as may DC
deemed necessary for the protection OF
the manufacturing and commercial
interests of this and other societies,
were granted hearing. Gov. Bul-
lock, speaking for his associates ana
himself, thanked the commission lor
the opportunity offered and read the
following paper;
To the Honorable, the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
Gentlemen: We, the undersigned
committee appointed by the Atlanta
chamber of commerce Tor that pur-
pose, respectfully represent to your
honorable body that the territory GOV.
cred by the southern railway ana
steamship association is comparatively
sparsely populated, and that the trade
centers, or distributive cities within
that territory, are widely separated and
therefore a rule which would apply to
lines in populous sections OF the coun-
try would be disastrous to us. The
rates of freight now in force by said
association, in the territory south oil
the Putomac and Ohio and east OF the
Mississippi rivers, arc the results oi
ten years experiment., modified by
the orders of the railroad commissions
i'm the several states and by appeals
from commercial bodies like our own
representing the interests OF shippers.
your petitioners further represents that
the rates now in force as embodied IN
the tariff of the southern railroad
and steamship association are accept
able to our shippers generally ana
under then, trade hasbeen established,
contracts for purchase and SAFE OF
commodities have been entered into
and sudden change would prove
seriously hurtful to parties interested.
We are informed by the railway man.
agement that under the fear OF penal
ties provided by the interstate com
merce law, their roads will be COM
pelled to largely increase their rates on
the 9Th instant. This will destroy the
whole system of rates upon which our
southern manufacturing industries
have been founded and disorganize |
and paralyze the trade centers upon
and through which wholesale dealers !
have established their extended busi-
ness. We therefore respectfully Pc
tition your honorable body to pass an
order on or before the 9th day OF April
to the effect that the schedule OF rates
in the territory south of the Potomac
and Ohio and east OF the Mississippi
rivers as far as these rates to the inter
state commerce be declared OF force
until the further order OF your honor
able commission and that reasonable
time be given for further hearing and
revision before any changes are put III
force. We submit herewith schedule
of rates of the Southern Railway and
Steamship association to which we
have referred. We also invite your at
tention to the accompanying compare
tive statement which we have
prepared of the present rates
by which il is shown what great IN
crease which will occur in the rate to
principal points if the railways put in
force the rates they now understand
the law will require. The showing
made by comparative statements sub
mitted may be judged by the fact that
rates from New York to Atlanta,
MONTGOMERY, Selma, Rome, Dalton
and Chattanooga will be increased
from IA To al, to Macon from lO9
TO 1876, Augusta from 96 to III,
from Cincinnati to Atlanta from lO7
to 1876, to Macon and Augusta from
1O7 to 141.
The chairman of the commission,
Judge Cooley, remarked interrogativc-
ly that he understood the application
made by the railroad companies for
permission TO charge less for long |!
than for short hauls. Gov. Bullock
responded affirmatively. AT present,
uueried the chairman, railroads are |
charging less for long than for short |
distances? Gov Bullock said this |
was the case when it was necessary to |
meet the circumstances OF water |
TRANSPORTATION. The chairman asked |
the opinion OF the commission with |
respect to the authority of the com.
mission to make the order asked OF
them. Gov. Bullock replied that as
they had read the provisions OF the
fourth section, they understood the
commission had authority. Railroads
he added, had informed them unless
they made their rates at once they !
would be liable to penalties under the |
law. Contracts had been made by
merchants for delivery three months |
hence, based upon the rates which pre-
vailed at the time. Now 70 suddenly |
raise rates would prove disastrous. A
brief colloquy, during which, in reply |
20 queries by Col. Walker and Morri-
con, the position of commissions in re-
spcct 20 some details was elaborated,
ended the hearings. The whole pro-